aggresive hive

[Keith13]

I have a hive that is just wicked mean. they are three mediums of bees and just busting at the seems. It is late in the year but I was thinking if I split them and do a walkaway, would their aggresion go down since they would not have as many bees? I still have the fall flow for them to build up and pack away honey. I guess i just dont want to replace a queen right now and am trying to come up with another option.

Keith

[iddee]

In the area you are in, they could have superceded and the new queen met with a few AHB drones, along with mostly European drones. That would give her offspring enough African to seem mean without being like a full Africanized hive.

Replacing a queen now would give you a brood break and free up more bees to forage. Actually bring in more from the fall flow. Fall requeening is getting more popular every year.

[JP]

Keith, there's no assurance decreasing their numbers will make them any less angry. I would re-queen them.


...JP

[AllenF]

Ya requeen them, but what fun would that be?  Drop in a thermite grenade.  Or just set it on top of the hive and let it burn through.  Now there's some fun. 

The last really hot hive I had, I took a blow torch to them and knocked down their numbers a little (it just felt good, and was good on the SHB population) to get to the queen.  Burned her and then replaced her.  This was a hive that would run you out of the front yard and they were on the back side of the property.  This was right after the 4 year old was born and I had to do something quick.  They were the top honey hive the next year.

[iddee]

I thought we were beekeepers, not bee killers. I was given a hive this summer that the guy said would begin hitting the windshield 50 feet before he got to the hive. I requeened it and now work it in my shirt sleeves.

It's the only one I've seen in many years that made me don my hooded jacket every time I went into it. New bees a few weeks later are much gentler.

[gardeningfireman]

I have an extremely aggressive hive,too. It is also busting at the seams. Started it as a nuc  April 29th with a queen cell and had two full deeps full of bees, brood and food, and a full med. super of honey on July 3rd.  Started a nuc from it in late July. Those girls will attack in force and chase me for 200 yards and then hang around waiting for me to unveil! I now am quite liberal with using smoke on that hive; it does seem to help. God help anyone who might try to vandalize that hive!